Vriska Vulpix's Journal
by VriskaVulpix
Summary: A vulpix's private journal. This is basically a fanfiction about a young, wild female vulpix, her friends, and the adventures they go on told in the first person.
1. April 11

**[Hello. A few quick notes before you begin reading:**

You don't have to read this first entry for the rest of the entries to make sense. I originally put it here to give readers a bit of information about what they were reading before diving in, but I don't think that this first journal reflects the tone of my fanfic as a whole very well. For now, I believe that the next entry may be the best place to start, so you can jump ahead right now if you want. I'm going to change the entry for April 11th soon enough, though I'm not sure how exactly I would phrase things, so I'm just keeping it here for now. There's more author's notes stuff at the bottom (older author's notes that are still relevant). Thank you!]

**Vriska Vulpix's Journal:**

April 11th

My name is Vriska and I am a wild vulpix. I am young, love adventures, and like cute things. Recently, I have decided to start keeping a journal, mostly to self-reflect as I've heard that self-reflection is good for a pokemon's soul or something like that. At least that's what one of Sparky's many girlfriends told me (I believe her name is Ampereta). She also said that it's one of the ways in which many domestic pokemon can express their thoughts and feelings without being judged. No harm in trying it, I suppose.

So there's not really a whole lot happening right now. Baxter is still shy, aloof, and sad, Tonto is still doing crazy-water stunts and being a trouble-maker, Sparky is still a computer genius who can woo females by the score, and Appy is as eccentric as ever.

I haven't been able to work up the courage to ask out Chi yet (she's totally gorgeous oh Arceus)... Maybe I will someday, but for now I'm too afraid of ruining the friendship that we already have... I don't even think she's lesbian and it would sound weird to ask...

The mating season has ended recently, which is nice. I was getting a bit tired of having to feel guarded all the time. The weather in mid-April is great, too. It's warm, but it's not too warm, there's a slight breeze sometimes, but it's never chilly. It rains sometimes, but the water from above is cool and refreshing. Baxter, Tonto, and I played a lot in the April and May rains of last year. I wonder if we'll do that again this year. It's rained twice in April, so far, and I've only played in the rain with Tonto once. It was exactly six days ago and it was just like old times. I got super wet! Rita says it might rain again tomorrow (she of all pokemon would know), so I'm pretty excited about that. Perhaps I should hang out with Baxter again. I haven't done that in a few days, and who knows, maybe playing in the rain will cheer him up.

I think that Ampereta was right. Writing in a journal is really helping me express my feelings and I should probably thank her whenever I see her again (it probably won't be for a few weeks, though). Right now, I'm feeling a bit tired. The possibilities of tomorrow excite me and I can't wait to see what adventures it has in store for me. So I'm gonna power down the laptop Sparky gave me, close my eyes, and sleep in my homely cave. Good night.

[**Hello again. A few more author's notes:** This is basically a story about Vriska's life (or at least part of it) told through a collection of journal entries and is in no way connected to the author's. I'm just starting this, so the story phase is kind of in its infancy. The story takes place in the pokemon world [I haven't decided which region yet] and most of the main characters (if not, all of the main characters) will be pokemon. Anyway, right now I want some beta readers to help me with this. If anyone is interested in beta reading, comment on the story or send me a PM. Thanks.]


	2. April 12

April 12th

The first pokémon that I saw this morning was Chi. I had drowsily awoken from my sweet slumber and went to go take a short dip in a lake nearby to prepare me for the day. The sun was just beginning to rise in the sky and the tiny rays of light illuminated the watery expanse and the sky above it. The gold-blue ether above me was dotted with thin, gray, sheet-like clouds and stretched out to meet the horizon, creating a beautiful dividing line of color. I yawned sleepily, not yet able to fully appreciate the adventures that lie before me and waded into the still, inviting waters. The fur just above my paws slowly submerged and I let the cool, refreshing sensations overtake me. I stayed like that for a few minutes, getting used to the calm, soothing liquid, the cool spring breeze, and the light of the sun.

Then I saw a lithe creature gracefully jump out of the lake. Chi. The buizel's silky; wet orange fur glistened gorgeously as she reached the apex of her jump. I could feel my heart stop. She was just so… so…

Splash! Tiny waves formed, slowly approaching me and I saw her silhouette under the water. She came toward me, slowly at first but gradually picking up speed. She was deep under and didn't make any waves, and I got the feeling that she'd been practicing this for months. Suddenly, she disappeared. …Silence. …A few seconds of it… Then I catch a brief glimpse of that amazing orange wonder before huge waves crash into me and somehow carry me further into the lake! I swear to Arceus, those waves had a mind of their own! There was no way I could brace for them! One after another, they relentlessly and swiftly washed over me. For a few seconds, I had no control over my body, because the currents were so strong, and eventually the force of it all pushed me completely under.

Strangely enough, it was very calm below the surface. It was like the waves sought to push me under, but lost interest and completely let me alone once they did. Amid my confused stupor, I saw that stunning, elegant buizel giggling cutely; almost in a "gotcha" kind of way. I tried to scowl at her, but I ended up very obviously trying to fight a smile (and swallowing some water as a result), which of course made her giggle even more. Embarrassed, I attempted to ignore her as I made my way up to the now unperturbed surface. When I broke through, though, Chi was staring me right in the eyes. I looked away real quickly, but then heard her sweet voice sing, "Aww… Come on now, sweetie, don't be shy."

I slowly turned my head back to face her, feeling nervous and uneasy. "Oh… Um... I didn't see you swimming there… So, uh, how's it going?"

She giggled. "Well, I am pretty good at sneaking up on unsuspecting Pokémon in the water," she gloated light-heartedly. She quickly bobbed her head down into the water, then resurfaced and shot a weak tiny stream of water up into the air. She smiled as the stream playfully landed on my head. "I'm doing pretty good right about now, hun. No one has woken up yet, so I've had this whole lake to myself for the past hour or so. I wouldn't get this kind of freedom and space in my old homeland. It's wonderful!" she beamed happily at me.

"Well, I'm glad you like it here," I replied quite dumbly.

"Thank you!" she said. "The locals I've met so far are so nice and friendly! Whatcha doin' today, dearie?"

"Good." I bleated. Yeah. I answered 'good' to that, and I honestly have no clue why. Nerves maybe? I don't know… I hastened to correct my stupidity.

"Oh, no no, I mean I'm… uh… um…" What was I doing? Why couldn't I have just said 'nothing'? I mean, I literally had nothing planned. I searched frantically for words that could make me seem normal again.

"It's okay, darling," she cooed. "You don't have to answer the question".

I was disappointed with myself. I always make things so awkward between us, yet here she was, saving me from my own embarrassment. I swallowed and set aside my worries as they would do me no good. "Oh… Well, ok. Thank you."

She smiled understandingly. "Not a problem."

Chi and I conversed for a good few minutes more and I got less and less nervous as time went on. Chi did most of the talking, which was okay because I didn't have much to say anyway. I didn't have much on my mind and she didn't seem to either, as most of her talk was lighthearted.

My stomach unexpectedly made a loud "rrrr" and I felt a sudden urge to eat something. "I think we've been floating here long enough," the kind buizel chimed. "We should get something to eat, cutie". "Aye" I agreed without hesitation.

And so we swam back to shore… Or more like she swam. I really kinda just doggie paddled there. There aren't very many ways a vulpix can swim.

Chi took her sweet time swimming to shore, being considerate of the fire-type. It didn't really take long for us to get there, so it didn't particularly matter if she raced ahead of me, but I appreciated what she was doing.

I envied her slightly as we were just getting out. After a buizel gets out of water, their fur looks clean, silky, smooth, and attractive. After a vulpix gets out of water… well, let's just say it's not pretty.

After we had dried off, we scouted together for some Oran Berries, which were pretty easy to find as they're fairly common in spring. I had 3 and she had 4, a decent breakfast. We didn't talk much as we ate, but we didn't have to as we enjoyed one another's company. Near the end of our meal, she noticed that there was a modest purple spot on my muzzle, so I wiped my paw on it and licked it. Sure enough, it was Oran berry. We laughed a bit too hard at that.

Shortly after we were done eating, we heard bushes rustling. My ears pricked up "Did you hear that?" Chi nodded.

"Sorry," A familiar voice discharged. "I'll leave you alone if you want."

"No, no. You're fine, Baxter. Come and sit with us," I consoled.

A small, sober eevee emerged from the undergrowth, slowly walking forward. He looked like he had just got done crying about something. Poor thing. When he got near us, he carefully sat down and glanced at Chi, then whimpered reluctantly, "I'm really sorry… but I don't think… I mean, um…" he stared sadly at the ground. "No… that was rude, sorry…"

Chi looked quizzically at him. I nudged her slightly, my way of telling her that she should introduce herself.

"Oh, Right. Hello? I don't believe we've met before. I'm Chi. It's a pleasure meeting you," she smiled sympathetically.

Baxter shifted somewhat nervously. "I apologize for not noticing you before… I'm really unobservant. Sorry."

"Oh. no no no, dearie," Chi solaced. "You don't need to apologize for anything. I've only been here for a week. Don't feel bad that you didn't know who I was."

Baxter looked forlornly out into the distance "…Sorry."

Baxter wasn't always like this. In fact, he used to be one of the most happy-go-lucky Pokémon that I had ever met. He really hasn't been the same since his parents and little sister died two weeks ago. Sometimes, it's almost like he blames himself for their passing. He hasn't told me, or anyone, really, much about what happened. Aside from him, no one knows much about the tragedy. We sat in solemn silence for a few more minutes.

Chi finally ventured to break the quiet. "What do you want to do now?" she asked us both.

Baxter continued staring at nothing, probably thinking about something. I shook my head. "I don't know. Have you been to Home Tree?" I suggested.

She put her paw on her chin. "Home Tree? …I don't believe I have ever heard of it,"

"I guess we have somewhere to go then, don't we?" I supposed. "You can come with us too, Baxy."

Baxter snapped out of his thoughts, looked at me, and gave a mute nod. Without further ado, the three of us set out for Home Tree.

My friends and I live in a quaint little company of about 1,000 Pokémon. In our society, traditions are kept, local holidays are observed, customs are obeyed, and the rules we have are enforced, yet the Pokémon families that constitute this humble community are considerably spread out. The cave where I live is about a half hour's walk from Home Tree and many other Pokémon find themselves in similar situations, therefore the rules regarding home and familial conduct are few and lenient. Home Tree isn't normally particularly crowded, regularly comprising of only about 60 to 80 pokémon, but is still a fair place to talk to other Pokémon, get advice, and generally just hang out.

The walk there was uneventful yet tranquil. Chi made funny faces that made me smile and I returned the favor, while Baxter opted to wordlessly tread behind us. The path that we traversed was full of that early spring beauty; trees were in bloom, flowers were beginning to sprout, the smell of pollen filled the air, the dew underneath my paws felt enjoyably cool, and the sound of pidove cheerily chirping resonated peacefully in my ears. Yet, as I was walking by, I thought that some of the flowers we happened across seemed a tad thirsty, but the thin clouds above, half covering the morning sun by now, implied that this might not always be the case.

Eventually, we came upon a great tree, probably the greatest I know. Walking, I looked on at its numerous thick sturdy branches, beautiful blooming leaves, and towering height, realizing that we were practically at our destination. As we strode toward the base of the tree, we began to see small makeshift huts and a typical number of Pokémon going about their business. This was it, Home Tree. It's not the most active hub in the world, but it's still a worthwhile place to visit now and then.

The buzz of dialogue filled the air delightfully, the young Pokémon (most of whom were a year younger than Chi and I) chased one another, laughed innocently, and cutely bothered their guardians, and older Pokémon (mostly seniors) were trading various berries, herbs, and other edible objects with one another to help relieve status aliments that came with being old. We had the pleasure of meeting one of these older Pokémon, a shiny charizard with a deep gash above his right eye, as he accidentally bumped into Chi.

"Pardon me miss, I didn't see you," his voice was rough and rugged, though a tad strained; I got the impression that he had done his fair share of battles.

"Oh no, it's fine, elder," Chi responded politely.

The charizard made a pleasant grunt. "Elder?"

"It's a sign of respect given by the younger to the older back in my old homeland," Chi civilly informed him.

"Ah so you're new to the area," he surmised. "and I suppose these two were kind enough to lead you here," He concluded gesturing to Baxter and me.

"Oh yes, elder," Chi exclaimed. "These dears have been very kind in showing me around."

He turned and eyed Baxter and me. "Kind indeed. A community cannot survive without kindness," he looked out into the distance for a few seconds, reminiscing something we knew not of.

After a few moments, he broke out of his trance, yet not in an abrupt way. Something else was on his mind now, but he was a little reluctant to bring it up. Again he spoke, "I am sure you are in good paws, yet I am obliged to say, notice that mienshao over there?" he gestured toward a smart looking mienshao, who was calmly conversing with a worried looking mightyena. "She is very knowledgeable about the female body. I'm not going to assume if you were active during this mating season, but if you were and have any concerns, talk to her."

Chi nodded gratefully "Thank you for the information, elder. It's greatly appreciated,"

"Don't mention it. Now, I must be off. Take care." The charizard slowly walked away from us and when he was about 40 feet from Home Tree, he unleashed a mighty roar, flapped his awesome wings, and took flight, disappearing in a matter of moments.

I looked at the mienshao again. I knew that what the charizard had said had been correct, for she had taught those my age and me how that stuff worked last winter in a series of community-required seminars. I knew her to be smart, insightful, and patient, yet strict, serious, and humorless. She frankly answered questions of all kinds, no matter how stupid they sounded, but did not tolerate any jokes or giggling.

Currently, she was gently hugging the mightyena and whispering something comforting in her ear. The mightyena seemed nervous and very nearly in tears, but somehow retained her composure. There were a few more seconds of whispering and comforting, and then the mienshao let go and said, "Just remember what I told you and you'll manage." The mightyena nodded, quickly thanked her, and went on her way.

"Eavesdropping is rude, Vriska. You should know better".

I gasped in surprise. She hadn't even turned around!

"Who is this you've brought with you?" the mienshao continued, unabated.

"My name is Chi, elder. It's a pleasure."

"That it is, Chi, that it is. You shall call me Master Ling. I hear you've been informed of my expertise. Do you have any questions for me?"

Chi asked a question and the conversation went on from there. Out of respect for my friend, I will not relate the conversation in detail, though I was welcome to hear it all (Chi told Master Ling that she preferred me with her since she didn't know Master Ling all that well and the master understood; I said I was okay with this arrangement upon being asked) and none of what was said was too personal. Baxter was requested to leave immediately after the first question was asked, which he did. I'm not sure where he went after that, but I imagine that it was away from Home Tree since I didn't see him the rest of the day. I wonder if he felt intrusive and unwelcome.

Chi's questions were thought-out and practical and Master Ling's answers were as informative and honest as always. I gathered from the questions that Chi had a pretty good handle on how all of this mating and pregnancy stuff worked, and that perhaps she knew more about it than I did. I felt so awkward and nervous throughout the dialogue, though, because I have feelings for the buizel. It was strange, almost surreal to hear her talking about this, of all things. I figure that I can take either one of two things from this conversation: 1. She trusts me with this sensitive topic and telling her my feelings toward her would make her think that I listened to this discussion for some pretty questionable reasons and hurt our relationship or 2. She trusts me with this sensitive topic and it would be wrong of me to betray her trust by not telling her my true feelings. For now, she expected me to be here with her so that she could see that Master Ling was a trustworthy mienshao, so, awkwardly, I stayed put. Despite my discomfort, I listened and actually learned quite a few things.

Eventually, I could feel the conversation winding down and Chi running out of questions to ask. Finally, I thought, I could be done with this, but then Ling asked, "How about you, Vriska, do you have any questions?"

I froze up. I had questions. I had a lot of questions, actually. Yet, when pressed, I couldn't think of them, so I just sat there in silence. The master waited patiently and didn't say anything, as did Chi. They were both so nice.

"Ummm…" I finally began. Was I going to ask something? Was there a question that would instinctively form on my lips? Would I simply embarrass myself in the worst possible way? I trailed off. Silence.

"No," I at last mustered to squeak. I looked at them both. Master Ling seemed to understand my nervous spell, at least in the sense that I had questions but was too nervous to even recall them. Chi, however, I believe, seemed to think I had questions, but was uncomfortable asking them. I admit that I can't know for sure what Chi thought, but I felt a difference between how the master and how my friend were expressing the sympathies on their faces, where the former was a disheartened sympathy and the latter was a disappointed one. In any case, it didn't matter, for the episode had passed and they both knew that I was uncomfortable and couldn't ask anything.

Master Ling spoke to me calmly. "It's quite all right, Vriska, it's quite all right. If you think of one, don't hesitate to come back to Home Tree and ask. Now I'm sorry, but I must ask you both to leave; someone else is here to see me and they've waited for quite a while." Chi and I turned around. We didn't even notice the zorua restlessly waiting for the astute mienshao to be rid of us. "Before I bid you farewell, however, I must inform you two- and you as well, Yvette, since you are a zorua- that if you are pregnant then your first symptoms will materialize by the end of this month. If you know your body, which I now know that all three of you do, then you should have no trouble noticing them. With that, I wish you two good fortunate."

Chi wanted to more thoroughly explore Home Tree afterward, most likely to take her mind off of such a serious topic, and so we did. There isn't really a whole lot at Home Tree and we were mostly relegated to conversing with the locals. Chi, for her part, was quite charming and amicable, bringing smiles to what were strangers to her. They expressed great delight in this kind, lovely newcomer and warmed up to her fast. She didn't neglect the young'uns either, electing to play, chase, hug, and tickle them to their little hearts contents; it was so cute to watch.

The Sun had risen to its apex and was now beginning its slow afternoon descent. Currently, thin, whitish-gray clouds veiled the bright golden globe and though much light penetrated through those clouds, it was getting a smidge chillier. The clouds were starting to become darker and heavier, though not yet ominously so, and it was becoming more and more probable to the community that it would soon rain. Some of the Pokémon understandably didn't like the rainstorms or showers, and embarked on (what was for most) a long road back to their caves and dens. Chi and I, however, stayed near Home Tree since we didn't particularly care if we got wet. It was always fun to play in those delightful showers with a few friends (that is, if it didn't start to thunder). Since Chi was now my friend, I figured it would be a good time to ask if she would like to play in the rain with me today.

"Chi?" I began.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

"I was wondering if… um later today you might want to-" a huge wall of water cut me off and launched me ten feet away, throwing me onto my back.

"You fell for it again, Vrisk-Vrisk" the old friend mused. "You always do,"

"Shut up, Tonto! The sun was in my eyes!" I shot back.

He laughed. "That's a dumb excuse and you know it. You gotta be ready for that kinda stuff later this afternoon, or you're gonna get soaked."

I histrionically glowered at him.

He strode toward us. "This is a new face. A pretty one, too," I internally shook my head at him.

"Oh?" said Chi, smiling. "Well, thank you, darling. It's a pleasure meeting you."

The totodile bowed before her "No, the pleasure is mine."

"Alright, I think that's enough, Tonto," I bemoaned. I was getting annoyed with him.

"What's wrong, Vrisky? Can't a totodile be civil?" he proposed.I glared at him.

He laughed, "You should lighten up, Vrisks. I'm merely being a gentle-mon."

"Chi, this is Tonto, totodile extraordinaire," I introduced sardonically.

Chi chuckled. "Greetings, noble beast of Home Tree."

Tonto posed heroically and cried in an exaggeratedly deep voice, "I, Tonto, the Noble Beast of Home Tree, fight against injustice and oppression whenever they rear their ugly heads. With my incredible nimbleness, I can dash around and attack evildoers before they know what him them. With my cleverness, I can think of effective ways to get rid of all evil creatures that appear. I fight for the defenseless! I fight for justice! I fight for my great and bountiful motherland, Home Tree!"

I scoffed at him melodramatically. "You and I both know that you're the trouble-maker of Home Tree, a far cry from being a Noble in any sense of the word. You're so full of hot air!"

"A vulpix is saying I'm full of 'hot air', eh? Now isn't that ironic?"

It wasn't the first time he used that joke, which is to say he uses it whenever he can. Normally I would scoff at such a corny-joke, but this one always makes me smile for some reason and this time was no exception. He looked at me with his usual "gotcha" expression on his face.

We spent the next half hour or so, just hanging out at Home Tree, talking, joking, singing, and generally acting like fools. Chi and Tonto warmed up to one another quickly and got a feel for one another's personalities, and it was fun watching how they interacted. After the half hour was up, we realized that we were all quite hungry now, so we made a deal with a fennekin who was trading pecha berries for some herbs that we would give her the herbs she wanted within 7 days if she gave us the pecha berries we wanted now (we could have went and scavenged for some of those ourselves, but we were too hungry). Chi, Tonto, and I sat down a few meters away from the fennekin and ate our lunch while Tonto and Chi got to know one-another more personally.

"I've never met a totodile before today," began Chi. "I'm glad to have met you, dear."

"Oh?" Tonto returned, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"You see, darling, I come from a community of mostly buizels, so there are a few species of Pokémon I haven't met yet,"

"Ah! So that explains it!" he blurted. "My friends and I go on adventures, and it sounds like you could definitely use a dozen or two of those!"

"Adventures? What exactly do you mean?"

Tonto grinned roguishly "What do I mean…? I mean exploring new places, teaming up on monsters that are 20 levels above us, digging in the dirt, sand, and mud for buried treasure, traversing dark, scary caves, splashing around in lakes and rivers after dark, making up stories, racing through the deep forest, trying out new moves, meeting new Pokémon, sometimes a combination of those things… I'm the leader of my adventuring group-"

"Who made you the leader, you jackwagon?" I interjected.

He laughed then continued "My adventuring partners are Appy, an aipom, Vriska, who's right here, and Baxter, an eevee."

"That's so neat. Why didn't you tell me you were an adventurer, Vriska?"

I shrugged. "I didn't think of telling you."

"Didn't think of telling me?" she gasped in disbelief. "You should be proud of being an explorer, facing the unknown with such passion! Going on adventures sounds like so much fun! I'm more surprised Baxter is an adventurer, though; he seems sad and unconfident."

"So you've met ol' Baxy, then," Tonto replied sadly. "He hasn't been his old self recently. Before last month, he never turned down the chance to adventure. He was always so eager and excited to see new things, meet new Pokémon, experience new things… but now…" he shook his head tragically. Silence.

Chi changed the subject. "…So, I've never met Appy before…"

Tonto's expression changed almost instantly. "Yep, good old Appy, she's the weirdo of the group and we all love her for it. Her interests change quickly and radically and when we think we have her figured out, BAM, she surprises us again."

Chi cocked her head to the side, obviously interested "Can you explain, sweetie?"

"I can give a few examples, I suppose. This one time, she found a colorful instrument, made by humans, just lying around somewhere. She became fascinated with it for the next four days and became insanely good at playing it, and then one day suddenly became bored with it and threw it into a river. Another time, she got obsessed with a herd of rapidash and ponyta for a week, studying what they ate, how they communicated, how they played and cuddled, and then lost interest. I remember she spontaneously got over her fear of heights once, recklessly charged down great hills and cliffs, then became scared of heights again for no obvious reason. We put up with her strange habits, though, because she is creative and has a versatile skill set, worthy qualities of an adventurer."

Chi giggled cutely upon hearing of such a bizarre pokémon. "I'd be interested in meeting her. She sounds entertaining."

"Oh, she's more than entertaining," Tonto rejoined and left the subject at that.

"What will you adventurers be doing today?" Chi wondered aloud.

Tonto looked up, smiling gleefully at the darkening sky above. "You and me are going to play in the rain and soak Vriska mercilessly."

I scowled at him. "Hey! Who said Chi was on your side?"

Tonto recoiled. "Okay, okay, fine Vriska. We'll have a free-for-all, but you'll still be soaked by the end cuz' you're a fire type and Chi and I are both water types."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," I challenged.

"Bring it, fire pup!"

I sprang up and tackled him to the ground "Take it back! Take it back or I'll tickle you!"

He looked me dead in the eye. "I said 'Bring it, fire pup.'"

I rubbed my paws quickly on his belly and sides and though he smiled, he did not laugh. He had to be ticklish somewhere.

"Aww… Poor Vriska can't find a place to tickle me. What a shame."

I tried his belly, his chest, his feet, his neck, even his face, but I could not find that elusive sweet spot. After a few minutes, he must have decided that that was enough entertainment from me for he unleashed a torrent of water from his mouth when I was rubbing his chin, hitting me in the face. I flew back a few feet, landing on my back on the ground. Tonto rose and approached me, smiling smugly all the while. I got up, a few streams of water dripping off from my head, the rest of my body remaining dry.

"That's what you get for trying to tickle me," he declared brashly.

I glowered at him, hoping vainly to intimidate him with an aura of enmity.

"Vriska, Tonto," spoke Chi, "I think we should wait until we're all done eating lunch to start tickling and spraying water at each other,"

Tonto and I looked at one another and simultaneously nodded our heads and shook paws, commencing our momentary lunchtime truce. The three of us resumed eating our pecha berries under a canopy of ever-darkening clouds while the winds blew stronger; the temperature became cooler, and the general atmosphere more ominous. Our dialogue, on the other paw, did not die down; on the contrary, it became more enthusiastic and fanatical. The rain was coming, the rain was coming, the rain was coming.

We finished our lunch and thought it would be better to play around in a more open area, outside Home Tree. Laughing, we stood up and went merrily on our way, savoring one another's company. We didn't look back when we left the premises, as we would most definitely be back again someday. We walked, talked, smiled, joked, hooted, and whooped as we made our way back in the direction Chi, Baxter, and I had come from this morning. The afternoon was almost over now, and the sky was almost completely black; what Rita had predicted for today was almost certainly true. Yet, none of us perceived the sky to be sad or dreary, or at least I didn't. The blackness reminded me of adventures, of exploring caves and lakes and the underground, of the unknown, waiting for a daring, curious Pokémon to unravel its mysteries, of friends accompanying one another on these adventures, and sticking together through thick and thin. These clouds, so thick, so heavy, they were on the edge of bursting seemed to me to convey that something new, beyond this storm, must be waiting.

"Hey! I felt the first drop!" shouted Chi vivaciously, a wide smile illuminating her.

A few short seconds afterword, Tonto and I started feeling droplets of water ourselves, and that's when we knew it was on. A huge gush of water sprayed from his maw, but he did not anticipate me dodging with a quick attack and promptly tackling him to the ground. I had him pinned underneath my paws, completely at my mercy, until he double-teamed out of my grasp. Now I was on all fours again, staring dumbfounded as he shook his tush at me, obviously enjoying his great escape.

The rain must have gone on for 3 or 4 hours, and in that time, we had an absolute blast. I chased Tonto, Tonto chased Chi, Chi chased me; I slipped in the mud, Chi made Tonto slip in the mud, my fur get wet, Chi's fur got wet, Tonto hit Chi and me with his water blasts, Chi tackled me, I tackled Chi, she tackled Tonto, he tackled her back; we all splashed each other with puddle water, I used quick attack to great effect, fooling them both consistently. It was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of memories made in those few hours with Chi and Tonto that I won't soon forget. One of my favorite moments, though, was right after I bonked heads with Chi. We both looked at each other briefly then and our eyes met. I can't tell what she saw, but I know I saw a pair of genuine, kind eyes and a shy, beautiful smile, which absolutely melted my heart. Of course, we were then punished for our inaction with a water-blast to the face (*cough* Tonto *cough*), but the moment was good while it lasted.

At last, the rain began to die down and a waning gibbous began to appear in the eastern night sky. We were all tuckered out at this point and we all openly admitted to it, even Tonto. He was on his stomach, huffing and puffing heavily, while Chi and I were on our backs doing pretty much the same thing.

Chi looked at me from where she was a few feet away and puffed cutely. "Thank you so much for hanging out with me all day. I haven't had that much fun in quite some time."

I smiled gratefully at her, but I wasn't sure if she saw.

"What, you're not going to thank me?" wheezed Tonto.

Chi chuckled. "Ok, ok, thank you too Tonto," she gave in endearingly.

The three of us stay laying on the ground for the next half hour or so, catching our breath and talking lightly, occasionally noticing an interesting constellation or two to point out (like Frasi Mightyena of Old Viridian) in the ever-clearing night sky.

Tonto slowly lifted himself up and walked toward us. "So, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?"

"I can't think of a single thing right now, honey, but I think I'll go explore Home Tree some more, just to get a better feel for the place," answered the buizel.

"And you, Vrisky?"

"I honestly don't know right now. How about you?"

"Well, we still need to give that fennekin the herbs we promised. I think I have a general idea as to where we should start searching."

"We have a whole week, though," I rejoined tiredly.

"But…But adventure," whined the totodile.

I laughed weakly. Tonto and his never-ending appetite for adventure; got to love the guy.

"You know where I'll be if you decide you're interested." He walked back in the direction of his residence, doubtless quietly scheming something mischievous for the future.

Chi and I lay quietly in the grass for a few more minutes, gazing at the black, inviting canvas above. It was still and quiet; quiet and still, for a reprieve from sound naturally occurs in the night. Finally, I rose.

"Are you going to bed, dear?" Chi inquired quietly.

"Yeah. You have somewhere to sleep?" I asked.

"Out here…" she replied.

"Out in the open? With no protection from the dangerous creatures of the night…?"

She was calm. "I much prefer to sleep under the stars; they're so pretty. I don't worry about the 'dangerous creatures of the night' as you put it; I'm a light sleeper."

I nodded. Most Pokémon find little burrows or caves or dens to sleep in and I have not a clue how those who don't survive. Realizing that I couldn't talk her out of it, I left her and retired to my cave for the night.

…But once inside of my home, I could not fall asleep immediately; I never can. I don't know how it happened, but this strange, strange device created by humans for humans has intrigued and fascinated me. I first encountered it in a so called "suburb", a place where those freaks, who keep Pokémon as mere pets and nothing more, house themselves.

I have but one friend who lives in those suburbs, a peculiar fellow who entertains himself with this attention-grabbing device for hours on end. He knows its ins and outs, its ups and downs, all its circuitry and everything even better than most humans. In fact, much better than nearly all humans, I'd say.

Knowing that most wild Pokémon's opinions on those nasty, vile, Pokémon-enslaving monsters aren't particularly favorable, I realize that owning this device is foolish and dangerous, perhaps more than I am aware. Yet, when I open up this contraption, when I go on "websites" I like, when I learn information that I never knew before, when I see that I got a message from Sparky this afternoon, I find myself in a new, free, and incredible atmosphere and find it difficult to believe that this machine is just another one of the dastardly humans' worthless hunks of junk.

I usually end my night on this thing, and tonight is no exception. There are things I check on a nightly basis; I take a good 40 minutes to see what's going on in the strange worlds the appliance transports me to. I have just ended doing that for the night and am now finishing up my journal. I don't have much else to say and I'm feeling pretty tired right now, so I'm going to wrap this up now. Good Night.


	3. April 13

April 13th

"Wakie, Wakie, sleepy-dunder-head! It's almost noon; you've been sleeping half the entire day!"

I groaned and rolled over, covering my ears.

A fat, familiar hand stroked my side. "Vul-vul, vul-vul pix-pix vul." A chortle. "Get up, Pixie, get up."

I would not budge, as I was still tired. Was five more minutes really too much to ask for?

Two fat fingers ambled across my side, approaching my neck and head. "Oh Pixie. Pixie, Pixie, Pixie. What am I ever going to do with you?"

Those fat fingers traversed my side, neck, and head until it got to the curly clump of fur on the top of my head. At this point, the fingers were lifted up slightly. A second later, a thumb (if you could call it that) and a finger grabbed and squeezed it repeatedly, while a pleasant laugh echoed against the cave walls.

"Oh, Pixie, you're so strange," said the strangest creature that I've ever met. "You're like a snorlax sometimes, especially now. You just want that precious sleep that you never seem to get enough of."

Squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze. "You must break yourself from your inner snorlax. Pixie, feel the beat of the living, the rhythm of the waked. Pixie, open your eyes and let yourself be taken by the bass of reality, the tenor of the sunshine, the alto of the spring, and the soprano of camaraderie."

"Five more minutes," I gargled.

"Pixie, listen, for now I tell you: Do not listen to the fools who say unto you 'sleep in excess', for when we sleep more than we ought, ironic pangs of lethargy visit us in our waking moments."

I groaned.

The curly clump of fur on my head ceased being squeezed and the fingers and thumb were drawn away. Seconds passed, but then I was grabbed around the mid-section and lifted up into the air. Surprised, I opened my eyes and saw that crazy, purple monkey smiling at me.

"Oh look, you're finally up."

"What do you want?" I asked, a smidge annoyed.

"We're adventuring today."

"We're…"

The purple monkey impersonated Tonto. "Going on an adventure."

"Can you be more specific?" I inquired drowsily.

"Okay. An underwater adventure." She relayed enthusiastically.

I searched my mind for clues as to what she could be talking about, coming back with nothing. "What in Arceus's wide world are you talking about? Why would we go underwater?"

"Some buizel, Chi, I believe was her name, was swimming around in the lake earlier this morning. She felt a rock lodged down at the bottom, then thought she should knock on it."

I was having trouble following the logic. "Why did Chi knock on the rock?"

"Because that is the buizel way, Pixie," she answered cryptically.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever. What happened next?"

"So Chi knocked on the rock, and determined there was something hollow under it; perhaps a tunnel or something. She told Tonto and they figured that there must be something inside it or something, so now they're trying to break into it."

"Interesting," I mused, "So, what did you wake me up for?"

"They don't know how to break it, but I have an idea, ooh, I have an idea." The aipom giggled excitedly and clapped her two free hands together.

"Do I even want to know?" I groaned.

"You will become a springboard and an inverse jet-pack," she announced ecstatically.

"I don't even know what either of those things are," I cried, bewildered.

"Of course ya' wouldn't, they're made by humans after all. Now if you don't mind, Pixie-snooze, we must be off." Carrying me by the mid-section with the big hand that was connected to her tail, we exited my cave and headed to the lake.

The sky was clear of clouds on this Saturday, the ground looked a bit wetter and sounded mushier, and the few budding flowers I saw on the way looked well watered from the rain. Like the crazy, purple monkey carrying me had said, it was almost noon, as shown by the height of the Sun in the sky and the heat it was currently supplying. There was a cool breeze blowing, so it felt a bit chillier than the day before, but it wasn't terrible.

Appy had always been an odd one. She was clever, spontaneous, and a tad mysterious, entertaining herself and others with a collection of numerous and ever-changing skills and interests. Tonto and I met her almost a year ago, about the same time we befriended Baxter. Unlike Baxter, who was just younger than us, Appy was new to the area. Despite not initially having any caretakers to look after her at such a young age, she was able to adapt to the surroundings quickly. No one, not even the Pokémon who eventually took her in, seems to know anything about her past or even whether she was formerly a domestic or wild Pokémon. While she knew the ins and outs of living in the wild from the start, she also has an unusually large amount of knowledge about humans and parts of their culture. Though we don't ask her about her past since it's generally considered rude and intrusive, Tonto, Baxter, and I sometimes discuss what we think her past was like. Though she hasn't commented on it, I'm sure she knows that we talk about it, but doesn't seem to mind it.

We were getting close to the lake now, and the vague forms of Chi, Tonto, and Baxter could be made out. As we approached, they became clearer to us and more of their features could be distinguished. I could distinctly hear the laughs of Chi and Tonto echoing from the short distance and imagined that they were laughing at me being carried around.

"Why haven't you put me down yet?" I demanded.

Appy shrugged. "You haven't asked yet."

"Well then, can you put me down?" I grumbled.

Gingerly, she lowered her tail, set me on the ground, and let go of me, smiling all the while. After that, she ran toward the rest of the gang, shouting, "I'm back, you guys, and I've got Snor-Pixie with me!"

I trudged along, still feeling slightly tired. There was more laughing in the distance, but they waited for me patiently.

"There's our Vrisky!" Tonto exclaimed, when I finally came to them.

"Beware of Pixie, she's been a bit huffy," joked Appy.

"You know I have a hard time waking up in the morning," I rebuked.

"That's no excuse to be short with us, darling," spoke Chi, winking at me.

"B-but…" I stuttered awkwardly.

"Stop talking about butts, Vrisk-Vrisk. Mating season is over," Tonto teased.

I glared at him menacingly, hoping to mask my amusement, but Tonto's smug expression told me that he saw right through me. Silently, I cursed myself for being so easy to read and vowed to not be deciphered so easily again.

I noticed Baxter shift uncomfortably and look down at the ground at this exchange, which puzzled me since nothing done or said was too out of the ordinary. Chi must have noticed it too because she asked, "Is something wrong, Baxter?"

He hurriedly fixed his posture and bleated, "O-Oh no, Chi. I'm fine."

She sighed, unconvinced, but dropped the subject.

"So, what do you want me to do?" I questioned. "Appy said something about turning me into a "springboard" or an "inverse jet-pack" which is some human-made object, I guess."

"I told you to explain things to her, so we would all be prepared for what to do," Tonto scolded Appy.

"That was the agreement," Appy conceded, "but I had to make sure she was wide awake to hear the plan, so that we don't mess up."

Tonto exhaled, irritated with Appy's disregard for the original plan, but reluctantly acceptant of her logic. "Fine. I'll explain it, then. Now Vrisky, what I want you to do is stand a few meters away from the shore. I'm going to jump on your back and when I do, I want you to jump up a bit, so I get that extra amount of air, when I jump off of you. Baxy will then run past you and jump up and when he's at the apex of his jump, I'll step on his back and jump even higher into the air. With me, so far?"

I shook my head, having an idea of where this was going. "This is a terrible idea and I hope you realize that."

"I do, but we're doing it anyway."

I slapped my face with my front paw. "Why am I letting you talk me into this?"

He ignored the question, deeming it rhetorical. "Ok, so then Appy is going to toss you up in the air after I've jumped on Baxy, and we're going to meet each other at our apexes midair. When we meet, grab on to me, muster the biggest flame burst that you possibly can, and shoot it up toward the sky. We'll go hurtling down toward the rock at an incredible speed!"

I stared at him, flabbergasted. "But won't it hurt when we hit the rock, assuming of course, our positioning is exactly correct?"

He was unfazed. "We won't miss our target because Chi is going to swim around in the lake and direct all of the underwater currents to that rock. She says she knows how to manipulate all of the underwater currents, and since we have no better plans, I'm just going to take her on her word."

I was still dumbfounded by what a stupid plan this was. "But it'll still hurt."

"Oh no, it's going to hurt," he said sarcastically. "We should all just go home and never find out what that rock was hiding." He shook his head "No pain, no gain, Vrisky."

Suddenly, an idea seemed to occur to Chi, and she spoke up. "If I remember correctly, yesterday Vriska and I met a shiny charizard, who seemed leveled pretty high. Why don't we just ask him if he can fly high up into the air, then dive down and crash into the rock? He seems hardy enough for it and I imagine that we could find him at Home Tree like we did yesterday, dear."

Surprisingly enough, Tonto had a ready response for this. "Chi, an adventurer, a true adventurer, does not simply ask another Pokémon to break rocks for them if they're afraid of 'getting hurt' or think it's a 'bad idea'. How could we possibly call ourselves adventurers if we ask others to do the heavy lifting for us? We can't, so we do our own heavy lifting. Besides, I'm not sure if the charizard would be small enough to not get stuck inside of the tunnel or whatever is being hidden from us."

"Shouldn't an adventurer know their limits?" argued Chi. "Shouldn't they not be afraid to ask for help when they need it?"

"But that's the thing. We don't need help. We got this, Chi; we got this. I've been with this group long enough to know what our collective limits are and I know that this is not one of them."

Chi looked at him for a moment, broodily contemplating his plan, then probed critically, "What if there's nothing behind that rock but a spike and you're going so fast that it impales you or Vriska? How will we know you dears are safe after you two pull this off?"

"Did I forget to tell you? Silly me. So, when you were away, I gave a random zubat a few berries to use his supersonic attack on the rock while I carried him underwater. Turns out that there's probably not a spike hidden behind the rock and that there probably is a tunnel of sorts. Right after we break the rock we'll come straight back to the surface, I promise."

Chi shook her head, presuming that she wouldn't be able to talk him out of what he was doing no matter how illogical she thought it.

"Are you still going to direct the currents for Vrisky and I?" he asked.

Chi stared him down. "Yes, I'll do it, but mark my words, darling, if anyone gets hurt, there will be consequences."

Tonto said nothing, and just nodded understandingly.

"I will agree to help smash the rock. Now when do we start?" I queried the group at large.

"We practice first," Tonto replied. "And Chi will get the currents going while we're doing that. We'll start practicing after lunch."

And with that, we all went together to go get some Oran berries to eat. There was a bit of nervous tension in the air, each of us feeling it in our own distinct ways, though none would admit to it. We all ate lunch in silence as the atmosphere had changed after the plan had been explained. Once lunch ended, we wordlessly returned to the lake and began practicing for this very important task.

Our practice consisted of going through the motions Tonto explained up to the part where he and I grabbed one another high in the air. From that point, I would prepare to unleash a flameburst, but would never actually do it and we would fall down to the ground together to be caught by the hand that was connected to Appy's tail. The whole routine was a bit difficult to get used to. I'd have to stay still, be stepped on, and then run over to be thrown by Appy, quickly.

Tonto and Baxter had the most trouble, though because of what went into the timing of Tonto's second jump. Baxter and Tonto had to fine-tune their jumps, so that they coincided with one another at exactly the right time. A fraction of a second too early or too late and the whole routine would be messed up. They were both very aware of what it would take for this to work and they both had that kind of mindset where they would not stop until they got it down. Both Baxter and Tonto hurt themselves from the practice, scraping knees, falling hard, tripping, face-planting even, Baxter acquiring a bit more damage. After all, he would get accidentally get stepped on the head and neck. I would get concerned sometimes that he might be pushing himself to hard.

"Tonto," I would say. "Don't you think Baxter should take a break?"

"Oh, I think he's fine," Tonto would respond. "I'm not pushing you too hard, am I Baxy?"

"No, Tonto, it's fine. I'm okay," He would say, while trying to hide his pain from me.

"See Vrisky, what did I tell you?"

I had to let it drop after he said that, but I could see in Baxter a certain determination to get this right, to not let the group down. There was a particular fire in him, something driving him along that made him withstand more face-plants, more slip-ups, and more physical punishment than an eevee like him should be able to take. It was impressive, though a bit jarring, to watch him fall down, get back up, fall down, get back up.

Appy had the least amount of trouble. From the start, she effortlessly tossed me up and caught Tonto and I while we were coming down. I'm not sure if I can recall even one time that day where she messed up. She must have had a lot of practice tossing things up and catching them, because it was just so easy to her. I mean, it makes sense, because what else are you supposed to do with a huge hand connected to your tail?

At last, it was time for us to try this once and for all. Tonto went underwater to go tell Chi that we were about to do this and the rest of us psyched ourselves up however we could. Tonto returned to us before too long and gave us a nod, indicating the obvious.

The routine went smoothly enough at first. Tonto got his running start, jumped on my back, and flew away. Baxter leaped into the air, higher than usual though still in sync with Tonto. Tonto took a hard leap off of Baxter's back, but Baxter, expecting the blow, was able to prepare for it and landed on the ground with unusual grace. Appy tossed me skyward, higher than I was used to since everything else had gone so well. After a split second in the air, I grabbed onto Tonto, my head facing up, knowing that this was it. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and unleashed a flameburst more potent than I had ever released before.

Tonto and I went barreling toward the water at breakneck speed and I continued with my move, determined not to stop until we had hit the rock; we had already come this far. Tonto, not wanting to interrupt or cancel my move with a water-type move of his own, hung onto me, braced for impact, and did nothing else. SPLASH! We hit the surface and were now underwater. Fire continued spewing from my maw, creating an underwater stream that propelled us toward the bottom. The strong currents Chi had created pushed us to our destination, but disoriented and confused me. As a result, I panicked and stopped issuing that powerful fire, but we were still being pulled under and fast. I became terrified. I opened my eyes and gasped for breath, but only water filled up my lungs. I coughed, trying futilely to breathe again, but only worsening my predicament. In the split second that I glanced at him, I found that Tonto realized the danger I was in; I could see it in his eyes, yet I could also see that he had no idea what he should do. He couldn't change our trajectory, or our speed, or the water currents, or anything really. The only thing he could possibly do was let go and the consequences of that might turn out to be even worse than what would happen if we stayed together. There was no telling where the currents might take us if we split. Though visibly afraid, visibly shaken, I could tell that he had resolved to see this to the very end. It did not feel like we were slowing down and that accursed rock was fast approaching. I swear that in those moments, time slowed down and it felt like minutes before we finally collided with our target. BAM! The rock broke open! Our plan had worked! Yet, the sheer force of the collision had separated Tonto and me and all the while, and I was choking, gasping, drowning. The last thing I saw that day was Tonto's form speeding away from me, then blackness; a dark void.

When I came to, I heard voices nearby, discussing something. I couldn't make it out for a few seconds, since it was just a buzz of sounds then. Shortly, the voices became clear and distinguishable.

The first thing I could make out was a small, anxious voice of a little Pokémon. "Do you think she's going to be okay? This is all my fault."

A distinctly feminine, angelic, voice responded soothingly, patiently. "Baxter, sweetie, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known this would happen". The sounds of this voice had a bit of reverb to them, making it sound like we were in a cave.

Again, the anxious voice spoke, this time with a hint of anger. "But I could have prevented this, Chi. If only I jumped higher, we would all be exploring that underwater tunnel right now and-"

"Shhhh…" The female interrupted delicately. "It's okay, you did your best."

"My best wasn't good enough," the other replied.

"You did your best and that's all anyone can ask."

"But…"

The female sighed with a sense of unease. "Baxter… You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It isn't healthy."

I heard the other, Baxter, exhale, and then fall silent. A cool, mid-nightly, wind blew longingly nearby, in some sense reflecting the mood.

"I'm concerned about you, Baxter…" Chi confessed, serious and thoughtful.

"Don't be," he replied quietly. "I'm fine."

After a few seconds of silence, Chi said, "I'm going to look after Vriska for the rest of the night. You should go back to your parents or guardians, now; they're probably worried about you."

"My parents are dead. I have no guardians," was the cold response.

I could feel a tremor of sympathy shuddering through Chi's form right now. "What? No parents or guardians…? You mean, you're all alone…?" Quiet. "Oh, Baxter…" While my eyes were still closed, I was almost certain that Chi was hugging him right now. I couldn't be sure if Baxter was returning it, though.

"I'll find a good guardian for you, Baxter, dear, don't worry."

"No. I'm almost an adult. I can look out for myself. Besides, I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

Chi didn't respond, she just continued hugging him. The embrace lasted for quite some time and I figured that I should probably relieve them of at least one of their troubles. I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in my abdomen immediately forced me back down.

Chi let go of Baxter and rushed to my side, embracing me, exclaiming compassionately, "Oh Vriska, sweetie, you're hurt. Don't move around too much, alright?"

I smiled at her, glad for the attention. She returned with a warm smile of her own, doubtless happy to see me awake.

"You must be hungry. Should I go get you something to eat?"

"I don't feel hungry at the moment, actually. What happened? Where's Tonto?" I demanded.

Chi bowed her head. "We don't know where Tonto is. He must have fallen into whatever that rock was blocking. He hasn't come back yet".

"W-What?" I spluttered deliriously. "You mean he's missing?!"

The buizel nodded solemnly. "You two were going very fast, Vriska, and he fell into the chasm after the impact. You were drowning at the time, so I knew that I had to help you out immediately. I was so worried, Vriska darling, so, so worried! I took you up to the surface as fast as I could. I laid your body down as soon as we hit dry land, but you weren't breathing, Vriska, you weren't breathing!" Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and her voice was getting shaky.

Though wide-eyed with shock and disbelief, I knew I had to get ahold of myself for us both. "Calm down," I managed to urge. "It's alright, I'm right here. I'm okay now, Chi".

The ever-considerate, ever-compassionate buizel took a few moments and a few deep breaths, successfully holding back her tears. "You're right," she acknowledged. "You're okay now, sweetie, and that's what matters."

She smiled at me thankfully, adoringly, filled with emotion, and embraced me. I embraced her back, enjoying the feel of her smooth silky fur, caring tender paws, and warmth. We stayed like this until she broke the embrace moments later and gave me a heartfelt look, though I wish we would have remained in that embrace forever.

From there, I took a deep breath, and then ventured to ask, "Why didn't he just come back up to the surface after the rock was broken, like he promised?"

Chi exhaled, the sound loudly reverberating against the cave walls. "This Tonto is quite the character, isn't he, dear?" She laughed uneasily, heavily. "He's always searching for adventures, for that next new thing to grab his attention…"

Her words confused me slightly, but I could make a good guess as to what she might have been alluding to. "So you're saying he went ahead, away?"

She shook her head. "Forgive me and my musings, darling. He couldn't change where he was going immediately after the collision, but I thought he could have done so soon enough. I couldn't afford to think otherwise at the time, for your life was in danger. After I saved you, Tonto still had not returned, so at first I thought he must have forgotten his promise. But then, I was curious: he seems close enough to you and your friends that I doubted he could have disappeared from us without a second thought. I felt that there was something amiss, so I went to investigate, leaving Appy and Baxter to take care of you. I followed the path that Tonto took, a lone and very short tunnel that made an arc to the west, eventually reaching a newly formed barrier of rock. Closely examining my surroundings, I concluded that whatever we did, quickly caused a collection of loose rock to fall and block the way. In fact, it was almost like the tunnel I was in had been completely dry but a few minutes before! Very strange, sweetie…"

"Strange indeed," I agreed with an air of slight disbelief. "Is anyone looking for Tonto, or Arceus forbid, a way to break THOSE rocks, right now? Any search parties? Anything at all?"

Chi closed her eyes and nodded solemnly. "Yes." she answered. "I've asked Pokémon from Home Tree to help and a kind few- mostly water-types- have selflessly volunteered. The Chief of Home Tree and many others were upset by our antics, though."

I laughed just a bit too hard at that. Classic Tonto, always making the Community suffer from our misadventures somehow.

Chi smiled back at me, though she didn't ask what I was laughing about. I think she knew.

"So, who's leading the search party?" I inquired, curious about the current situation.

"A vaporeon named Rita, dearie. Do you know her?" She asked, seeing my eyes light up at the name.

"Yeah, I do. She's a family friend." I answered, delighted.

"Ah, I see," the cute buizel mused. "Anyway, the search party isn't having any luck so far with breaking down that wall of rocks; it's pretty thick. Right now, a select few are even considering creating a coalition of rock and earth-type Pokémon to dig their way down past those rocks, but that would take an incredibly long time to do, hon. Appy is also part of the search party and is helping the team by thinking of ideas to try out, while Baxter and I have agreed to watch over you until you get better."

I reflected over these words briefly before a terrifying thought hit my mind: what if those rocks had crushed Tonto? He certainly couldn't have survived it. Chi saw the worry overtake me, for furrows and creases of concern had formed on her face.

"Is there something wrong, Vriska?"

I didn't want to tell Chi, since it seemed that we were all up together in the dead of night and I didn't want her to worry Tonto possibly being dead on top of being missing. I didn't want Baxter to hear about my fears, because he was already grappling with loss and I couldn't bear to make things worse for him. "It's nothing, Chi. I'm just worried."

She looked at me softly, replying, "I know, dear Vriska, I know".

We were all silent, for a while afterword. The three of us all knew that things hadn't turned out well at all today, but at least we enjoyed each other's presence. I knew I had good friends, Baxter and Chi would no doubt continue looking after me until I got better, and who knows how long that might be. Appy would continue helping the search party and will probably give me moral support in the days to come.

As the air in the cave became stiller and stiller, our eyes became more and more heavy. The day had taken its toll on us all, and our bodies were telling us that we should rest. Nearby me, Chi fell unconscious first, curled up into a bright orange ball. Baxter was farther away from Chi and me and though he closed his eyes and curled up into a ball, he did not seem relaxed enough to be asleep. Before long, I too closed my eyes, meaning to give my weary mind and aching body a sorely needed rest.

I can't say I remember much after that.


End file.
